konsole

Open the terminal in a specific directory

$ konsole --workdir [path/to/directory]

$ konsole --noclose -e "[command]"

$ konsole --new-tab

$ konsole --background-mode

konsole [Qt/KDE options] [konsole options] [--] [command or URL]

-h, --help
    Display command-line help and exit

-v, --version
    Display version information

--nofork
    Do not fork into background (stay in foreground)

--noclose
    Do not close window when last tab/session ends

--hold, --noclose-on-exit
    Keep window open after command completion

-e, --execute command [&]
    Execute specified command in new session

--new-tab [--add-tab-after current/new]
    Open command in new tab (default appends)

--workdir, -w directory
    Set working directory for new session

--title, -T title
    Set window title

--tabtitle title
    Set tab title

--profile profilename
    Use specified session profile

--override Profile=name
    Override profile properties (e.g., font, color)

--separate
    Open output in separate konsole window

--warp, --warp-after milliseconds
    Warp to end of output after launch

--size widthxheight
    Set window size in characters

--position x,y
    Set window position

--active-tab
    Switch to newly created tab

--close-tab
    Close current tab after launch

--preset presetname[:command]
    Use view preset

Konsole is the default terminal emulator for the KDE Plasma desktop environment, offering a highly customizable and powerful interface for command-line interactions. It supports tabbed sessions, split panes (horizontal and vertical), and multiple profiles allowing users to configure fonts, colors, transparency, background images, and keyboard shortcuts per profile. Advanced features include search with regex support, bookmarking, session saving/loading, and integration with KDE notifications and DBus for scripting. Konsole emulates standards like xterm-256color, supports Unicode, mouse tracking, and sixel graphics. It can be launched with specific working directories, execute commands directly, or open URLs. Ideal for developers and power users, it enhances productivity with features like detachable tabs and plugin support. Available on most Linux distributions with KDE packages, it runs on X11 and Wayland.

Requires KDE Plasma or Qt libraries; graphical environment (X11/Wayland) mandatory. Not suited for headless servers. Some advanced features like DBus control need Plasma session.

Customize via Edit > Edit Current Profile or Settings > Manage Profiles. Supports shell integration for better prompt rendering.
Includes presets for root, debugging.

Right-click tabs for splits.
Use View > Split View or Ctrl+Shift++ for horizontal/vertical panes.
Drag tabs to rearrange.

Press Ctrl+F for regex search with highlighting.
Add bookmarks via Bookmarks > Add Bookmark for quick directory jumps.

Introduced in KDE 1.0 (1998) as a simple xterm replacement. Evolved through KDE 2-4 with tab support (KDE 3.1, 2003) and profiles. KDE 5/Plasma 5 added Wayland support, sixel, notifications. Now in Plasma 6 with modern Qt6 backend, focusing on performance and extensibility.

xterm(1), gnome-terminal(1), terminator(1), alacritty(1), kitty(1)